The Bears had a lot to celebrate on Saturday night. They came back to beat the Packers 31–27 in the wild-card round to mark their first playoff win in 15 years. And, they did so at home at Soldier Field.
Bears players were understandably hyped after the electric finish. Receiver Rome Odunze got a bit carried away in his celebration, though. As the Bears sideline was running out onto the field, Odunze grabbed coach Ben Johnson’s shirt and jumped up and down with him. However, this led to Johnson falling to the ground and almost doing a backwards somersault.
It was a hilarious moment captured on video. Odunze told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin after the game that he apologized to his coach after accidentally knocking him to the ground amidst the chaos.
“I told him I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to knock him down like that. I was just excited. I thought he was a little bit more athletic than I was,” Odunze said while laughing. “That’s my bad. I got a little too excited, but no, that’s my guy. I didn’t mean to bring him down. I owe him something for that.”
Rome Odunze tackling Ben Johnson 😂 pic.twitter.com/tgwDgQKjG9
— Depressed Bears Fan (@DepBearsFan) January 11, 2026
Odunze couldn’t help it. Saturday marked his first playoff performance in his young career. Odunze had missed the last five games of the season due of a foot injury, meaning he didn’t compete in the two Packers matchups. Beating Green Bay on Saturday added extra excitement for Odunze and the entire Bears' squad.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears' Rome Odunze Had Hilarious Line About Throwing Ben Johnson to Ground After Win.
